Fallen Heroes' Creed
by RoninAlchemist25
Summary: The Elric brothers and Mustang have been sent to fight another War in Ishbal. Story will be EdxWin, RoyxRizahopefully, and AlxOC
1. Call of the Master

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor do I wish to. I just want to read it and write about it._

_Summary: _Set in the mangaverse._ The Elric brothers, as well as Mustang and his fine bunch of reubens, have been sent to another war in Ishbal. Story will be EdxWin, RoyxRiza, AlxOC(Cassandra) _

_Spoilers: Post-chapter 61, with some differences (Riza, Falman, Fuery, and Breda are back under Roy's command/Winry working as Dominic's apprentice/Alphonse is back to normal) _

**Alright guys, this is my first attempt at an FMA fanfic, so please read it and review it. And be honest if you review.**

**The Fallen Heroes' Creed**

Chapter One

Call of the Master

"WHAT?!" Edward Elric winced at Winry's shout. In her anger, she whipped out her wrench and clocked him on the head. "What do you mean, going to war?!"

Ed was surprisingly calm, as was his younger brother. "Just what I said. We got a report from Mustang, who got a call from the Fuhrer. We're to report to East City HQ as soon as possible."

Winry Rockbell, the Elrics' childhood friend and Ed's automail mechanic, was furious. "Why didn't you leave the military once you turned Al back to normal? Why didn't you come back to Resembool and live with me and Granny?"

She sunk to the floor, hiding teary eyes behind her lemon-blonde hair. Ed looked down at her and felt a pang of sorrow. _Because the Fuhrer is holding you hostage…and I couldn't take it if you died._ He sighed, then went down to her level, giving her an awkward hug. "I'm sorry. I'll explain it when we come back."

Tears soaked Ed's automail shoulder as Winry heaved out another quiet sob. "But what if you don't come back? What if you and Al die out there?"

Ed winced again, the reality of that thought sinking in. "Alright. I'll tell you everything that I safely can, Winry. Al and I found out that Fuhrer Bradley is a homunculus, Wrath. He's holding you hostage as well as Lieutenant Hawkeye. Until Mustang and I can find a way to get rid of him, we'll have to stay dogs of the military, or you and Hawkeye will be killed."

Winry was now sitting on the floor, looking into Ed's eyes. Tears were still sliding down her cheeks, but she had stopped sobbing. "The Fuhrer is a…homunculus? But…you said they don't age. If he's a homunculus, how come he ages like humans?" Her tears were beginning to dry, and she was now intensely curious.

Ed was amazed at her memory, as well as her attentiveness to the subject. "I don't know. All I know is that he has an Ouroboros tattoo on his left eye. It lets him see any outcome of a situation."

She stared blankly at him, and then another thought popped into her head. "Why is he holding _me _hostage instead of Al or Granny?" _Does he love me? Or is it just because I'm his mechanic?_

_Because I'm in love with you…_ But Ed rarely said what was really on his mind when it came to Winry, and this was no exception. "Because you're my mechanic. Without you, I wouldn't have anywhere to turn for repairs."

Winry didn't push the subject further, but some part of her brain involuntarily said, _He loves me._

Al, who had been in the restroom, entered the living room at Dominic's place outside Rush Valley. Seeing Ed and Winry on the floor, both looking slightly disheveled, he asked with a coy tone, "Am I interrupting anything?"

Ed shook his head and stood up, straightening out his clothes. "No. We'll be back, Winry. I promise that we'll be back."

She smiled, a little smile that warmed Ed's heart, but he stifled it. "Thanks, Ed. Now…" She stood as well, and hefted her wrench, which caused both Ed and Al to flinch. "If I'm gonna be helping you, then I've gotta keep practicing. Dominic!" Winry rushed off down the hallway to Dominic's workshop.

Al looked at his big brother, trying to read what was running through his brother's mind. "Ready, Ed?"

Ed hefted his suitcase and opened the door. "Yeah, let's go." He stepped out into the sweltering heat of Rush Valley, and started down the path from Dominic's place. _Bye, Winry. Good luck._

In Dominic's automail workshop, Winry paused for a moment, and in her mind's eye she saw Ed and Al, both walking up the path to Granny's. She saw them fighting Scar, Ed jumping between her and Scar to keep her from killing the Ishbalan. She saw Ed staring her in the eyes as he explained why he was still in the military, and she felt a knife in her heart being twisted slowly in a circle. _Good luck, Ed._

**That's the first chapter! Please R&R, so I can do better next time. Sorry if the Ed or Winry were a little OOC. Also, someone give me an idea for a State Alchemist name for Alphonse!!!**

**Chapter Two Preview: **_The Fullmetal and Flame Alchemists join the battle! And who is this new soldier Al has met?_


	2. Getting Away With Murder, Part 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor do I wish to. I just want to read it and write about it._

**_FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO DON'T BOTHER TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES AT THE START OF A CHAPTER, THIS IS SET IN THE MANGAVERSE, WHICH EVENTUALLY TAKES A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PLOTLINE THAN THE ANIMEVERSE. IN THE MANGAVERSE, Fuhrer Bradley IS WRATH, NOT PRIDE!!! _**

**Fallen Heroes' Creed**

Chapter Two

Getting Away with Murder

Alphonse Elric, the Immortal Alchemist, crouched behind a low wall as bullets ripped off chunks of the wall, reducing his cover.

_Wait for the reload…NOW!_ As the Ishbalan at the machine gun stopped his barrage to reload, Al broke from his cover, dashing down the street at the dark-skinned man.

Al dove through the window, knocking the machine gun from its bipod as he tackled the Ishbalan. The two men rolled around on the floor in a frenzy blur of motion. When the Ishbalan drove his knee into Al's gut, the young alchemist coughed and loosened his grip on his foe's shirt.

His opponent dove for the machine gun on the floor, planning to shred Al at point-blank range. He froze when a black boot slammed down onto the machine gun. The Ishbalan arched his head up to stare at a young blonde man in a blue Amestrian military uniform. Their eyes met and the Ishbalan man began to feel fear spread through him as the young man's amber eyes met with his crimson ones.

"I'm sorry." The last the Ishbalan rebel saw was the alchemist's blade that was attached to his automail arm slashing across his vision.

Ed and Al sat around a small campfire outside the town they'd recently cleared of Ishbalans, accompanied by Colonel Roy Mustang. The small campfire, now down to its embers, was silent apart from the occasional crackle of burning wood. The cool desert wind whipped their hair about and stung their eyes as it kicked up dust.

Ed's eyes were beginning to get watery, but for an entirely different reason. He couldn't get that Ishbalan he'd killed earlier that day out of his head. Those red eyes had been so full of fear, but grim determination as well.

Roy noticed his brooding subordinate and said in a dull monotone, "Just put him out of your mind, Fullmetal. You can't survive this place if you constantly look back and feel guilty over the enemies you've killed."

Ed's golden eyes flashed in anger and he glared at his commanding officer, who sat there, fingers steepled in front of his face. Al also turned to face Mustang and said, "But guilt is a natural human emotion. If a soldier doesn't feel guilty about those you've killed, then we're no longer human. If we stop feeling guilty about the people we've killed, then we're no better than Father or the Homunculi."

Roy smiled to himself. _Leave it to Al to say what's on everybody's minds…_ "I'm not saying I don't feel guilty, nor am I suggesting that Fullmetal not feel guilty. But in battle, one must remain completely focused on the situation. If they don't, they'll stand a very high chance of getting killed."

Ed finally spoke up, his eyes swimming with tears. "But I can't do it. You can call me weak, you can call me foolish, naïve…call me whatever you want, but I just can't keep all the people I've killed out of my mind."

"Then leave the military. Go back to Resembool and live in peace with the Rockbells." Roy was now the one glaring at Ed, and neither one was willing to back down.

"If I do, then Bradley will—" Ed stopped abruptly, thinking of Winry. _She's a nice, honest girl…_ Those had been the Fuhrer's words when Ed had said he was going to leave the military, but those words prevented him from resigning. He looked his brother in the eye, then returned his gaze to Mustang. "—If I resign from the military, Bradley will kill Winry. I don't doubt that he wouldn't kill Granny Pinako while he's at it."

Roy felt a sharp spike of compassion and empathy for the boy. He knew that Ed loved Winry, even though Ed wouldn't say it in a million years. He unconsciously recalled a game of chess he'd played with the Fuhrer before the Second Ishbalan War began. _I lost my rook, my knight, my bishop, and…_ He nearly choked as he thought of Breda, Falman, Fuery, and Havoc, and it took all his willpower to keep down his tears as he finished his thought_…but my queen was safe…She can't help me, but she's safe._

Ed watched his superior's face. Whatever was on his mind, it was certainly troubling him, and Ed thought it was most likely Hawkeye. He knew that Winry wasn't the only hostage the Fuhrer had. He also had Hawkeye, and Bradley wouldn't hesitate to use the blonde sniper against Mustang.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting anything?" All three heads swiveled to face the source of the noise, and saw a young blonde soldier standing near the edge of the firelight.

The young soldier was roughly 164 centimeters in height, and she had a face that reminded Ed of Winry or Hawkeye. Full lips, fiery green eyes, and well-defined features managed to make her look like a woman, but at the same time a soldier. "Not at all. Is there a problem?"

She shook her head and said, "No. It's just that I was told to report to Colonel Roy Mustang, and I was directed here. Is that you?" She inclined her head to Roy, who nodded. Abruptly, the woman snapped a salute to him, and sounded off. "Sir, Captain Cassandra Rickard reporting for duty, sir!"

Al blinked rapidly, Ed sat there with a stunned look on his face and Mustang looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "Excuse me?"

Cassandra continued to remain in her salute stance, and replied in a calm, level tone, "I was ordered by the Fuhrer through Major General Grumman to report to the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang. How may I be of service, sir?"

Roy smiled inwardly and with a flourish, pointed to the area between Ed and Al. "Firstly, you can relax and take a seat; it's an informal atmosphere. Secondly, did the general want you to tell me anything?"

Ever since Riza had been transferred to be one of the Fuhrer's personal assistants, Grumman had occasionally had information for Roy, courtesy of Riza herself. Cassandra nodded. "He told me to tell you that Lieutenant Hawkeye is safe. Also, he's trying to rally support against the Fuhrer, and he's made some progress with civilians, but not many people in the military, apart from those under Brigadier General Hughes, were willing to stand up against the Fuhrer."

Cassandra sat on the other side of Al as she spoke. When she sat down, Ed could have sworn his little brother blushed a little, though it was hard to tell with the flickering firelight dancing across his face.

"Well, g'night, everybody. I'm going to bed now." With that, Ed disappeared into his tent for the night. But for almost three hours, Ed's mind was too active for him to sleep. He tossed in his bedroll, sleep interrupted by thoughts of golden hair, bright blue eyes, a shining smile, and flying wrenches.

Three State Alchemists and one Amestrian regular might have seemed like an overpowered group for a mere sortie, but Colonel Roy Mustang, Captain Edward Elric, Major Alphonse Elric, and Captain Cassandra Rickard all had special skills that complemented each others' weaknesses.

While certainly distinguished at striking from a distance, Mustang and Cassandra—or 'Cass', as she preferred to be called—were less than stellar at close combat. To balance that, Ed and Al were excellent at hand-to-hand combat, and were extremely fast and agile. Cass had the furthest range, making her effective at dispatching Ishbalans before her comrades even knew there was an enemy.

On top of complementing each others skills, all four of them knew of the Homunculi's infiltration of the military, and were under the surveillance of the Fuhrer. Rather than use two or three spies to keep their eyes on Mustang, Cass, and the Elrics, it was simplest to put them all into the same squad and have one pair of eyes on them.

Ed was slinking down a street with Cass, making sure the cramped yet empty streets were really empty. On the other side of the street, Mustang and Al were mimicking the actions of Ed and Cass.

As they went down the deserted streets, Ed's thoughts drifted to the consequences of what he was doing. He'd never killed someone before his first Ishbalan in the war, but Nina Tucker's death still haunted him to that day. He hadn't actually seen the bodies of the Tucker family, but from Hawkeye making a point for him not to go to the crime scene, it must have been gruesome. He still remembered how the Slicer brothers had died trying to give him information on the Homunculi

He may not have been the one who killed them, but it was partly due to his actions that got them killed in the first place. Suddenly, Roy's bark to find cover snapped Ed out of his reverie, and Ed realized why when a bullet shot out at him, blowing a divot out of the ground in front of his automail foot. He clapped his hands and slammed them onto the ground. There was a bright blue flash of alchemic light, and the ground beneath he and Cass shifted as he transmuted a wall for cover.

Mustang was scanning the area quickly but thoroughly, searching for their attacker. Al was making sure no one would sneak up on him and Roy, as the cover Al created wasn't without flaws. Mustang heard another crack of a rifle as he poked his head up from his cover, and grinned as he ducked back down, sand blasting into his hair as the bullet took a small chunk of the wall off. _There._

In one deft movement, his hand came up over the wall and he snapped his fingers. There was a sound similar to an electrical surge, and another second later, the tall clock tower at the center of the town, several blocks east, exploded at its top. The flames engulfed the clock and sent tons of rubble crashing down upon the immediate area.

Roy stood and brushed himself off as he called out, "Is everyone okay?"

"We're good." Ed and Cassandra stood and scanned the area for anymore enemies. When they were certain that the area was secure, all of them relaxed.

"Chalk up another death for the rebellion…" were the only words Ed could manage as he saw the destruction his commanding officer had caused to the clock tower in the center of town.


	3. Getting Away With Murder, Part 2

Throughout the course of the day, Mustang, Cass, and the Elrics assisted the military in 'suppressing' the second uprising in Ishbal. By the end of the day, at least three city blocks worth of buildings had been reduced to rubble by the Flame Alchemist's explosive power, while Ishbalans aplenty were dead or dying as results of the Elric brothers'—as well as Cass'—skills.

The four of them sat alone around their campfire as they had the previous night, and Al had suggested that they learn more about the enigma that was Captain Cassandra Rickard.

Apparently, she had joined the military in part because of her cousin's example that she felt she had to live up to. When she said this, all ears were now alert and wanting a name to go with Cass' cousin.

Finally, Al broke the silence. "What's your cousin's name?

Cassandra smiled proudly. "Major Elizabeth Hawkeye, best sniper in the Amestrian military."

Roy blinked at this new information. "Do you know why they sent you here, Captain?"

Cassandra nodded her head. "Being so close to General Grumman and Major Hawkeye is that very little concerning a matter such as this can get by me without me getting at least a whiff."

Roy nodded appreciatively at her. _She reminds me a bit of Hawkeye…At least I know why now._

There was silence for a few moments, broken—quite unexpectedly—by Al. "There's more to it than that, Captain." All eyes within the group turned to face the sandy-haired alchemist. "She reminds you of Hawkeye, doesn't she, Colonel?"

Roy nodded slowly as he began to fit the pieces of what Al was saying into place.

"It's not just so she can use her family as contacts to get information about what's happening…" He paused for a moment, sighed, then continued. "Bradley's using her to taunt you, Colonel." Ed saw in his brother's eyes fiery anger…and something else, as well.

Mustang blinked in surprise, not quite expecting that. "Taunting me? How so, Alphonse?"

Al looked the Flame Alchemist in the eye and said in a voice so cold it could freeze gasoline, "Because he knows you love Hawkeye."

If Roy thought he was surprised earlier, that caused him to correct himself…_Okay, _now_ I'm surprised._ "In love with—That's ludicrous."

Ed got a feral gleam in his eyes, enjoying the chance to get back at the colonel for all the embarrassment he'd received throughout his time working under the man. "Really? Then how come, out of your group of friends, she's the one you're the most protective of?"

Roy grinned at Fullmetal, shooting back without so much as a second's delay. "That's easy. She's a female. Everyone knows the men are the superior se—" He was cut short at the last second by Cassandra, who'd rather casually dropped the butt of her rifle onto his head with a dull _thwack_.

"I stand corrected." The Elric brothers snickered at Mustang, who smiled inwardly to himself…_I guess they're right…Maybe I do love Hawkeye. But I'd never admit it._ He stood up and dusted himself off, putting his mental armor back on and turning to face the captain. "I'll let that slide, mainly because I'm used to it by now. And if you'll excuse me, I think I'll be getting some sleep while I still can."

Ed got up to head for his tent, not bothering to see if Al followed. Cassandra had grabbed her rifle and her other things and was about to head for her own tent when she felt a strong arm grip hers gently but firmly.

Turning, she looked Al in the eyes, her green meeting his blue. "Yes, Major?"

Al winced at the formality in the title. "You don't need to call me that…it's just Alphonse, or Al. I'm sorry if what I said earlier offended you in any way…"

She was taken aback by the tone in the boy's voice…a tone she didn't often hear. One of sorrow and pain. "That's alright. It's no big deal. Why the serious face?"

"It's just…that Bradley has no problem using us humans like we're his playthings, just to make sure that everything goes according to their plan…He has Hawkeye hostage, as well as Winry…and he's using the fact that you look like Hawkeye to taunt the colonel…It makes me sick."

Cassandra smiled warmly, the first real smile she'd managed in a long time. "I'm a soldier. It's my place in life to be a tool for war. That's all we really are to those higher up on the political food chain…just tools for war, so that they can all get away with murder."

Al frowned. "That doesn't mean you have to accept that! Find a way to disrupt the homunculi without getting innocent lives put at risk! Even if that's true, that doesn't mean you have to accept and go along with that!"

He wasn't quite sure what to expect, but he was nonetheless surprised when Cassandra gave him a brief hug and whispered into his ear, "Thank you…that might be just what I needed." She stood and began to walk to her tent.

"Good night, Captain."

"It's Cass. And good night to you to, Maj—Alphonse."

Author's notes: YAY!!! I finally finished off the whole of the second chapter! I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, but don't be surprised if it's another six months or so…real life can be a pain.


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